Are you prepared to have your emotions both wrenched & enthralled as the second season of House of the Dragon has just been released? As followers of the series’ epic saga, we’ve borne witness to the power plays and heartaches that come with the Targaryen lineage. But when it comes to translating the heartrending narratives from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, few scenes challenge our sensibilities.
For the unversed, it’s a scene that’s originally much more different than the books, one that has us grappling with a visceral mixture of shock and awe. The conclusion of House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1, follows Blood and Cheese as they enter the Red Keep covertly in order to murder Aemond Targaryen, all under Daemon Targaryen’s orders and payroll.
Of course, what happens is that they end up beheading Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen, the son of King Aegon II. Does it get worse? Indeed. Alarmed? Yes. Despite an otherwise splendid premiere, it just did not work out the way fans had hoped for a few reasons, which left even the actress, who played Queen Helaena Targaryen, feeling a little disappointed.
House of the Dragon’s Adaptation Missed the Mark on This Season 2 Scene
In the latest episode of House of the Dragon, we witnessed a heartbreaking and gut-wrenching scene that left fans reeling. The murder of young Jaehaerys Targaryen at the hands of the ruthless killers, Blood and Cheese, was a moment that will forever be etched in our memory.
However, what many fans may not realize is that the scene in the show differs greatly from the source material, George R.R. Martin’s book, Fire & Blood. The differences in how the murder of Jaehaerys plays out shed new light on the characters and the choices they make in this dark and brutal world of Westeros.
One of the most significant changes is the fact that in the book, it is not explicitly stated that Blood and Cheese were commissioned by Daemon Targaryen to kill Aemond Targaryen. Additionally, the decision to have Helaena Targaryen point directly at Jaehaerys as the boy to be killed, rather than choosing between him and his brother Maelor as in the book, adds a heartbreaking element to the scene.
The weight of her decision and the guilt she carries are palpable, making the moment even more destructive. In order to draw the audience into the story as it has been outlined, showrunner Ryan Condal felt that it was their responsibility as adapters to try and find the “objective line” through this. He stated (via Variety):
One of the things that’s challenging about adapting ‘Fire & Blood’ is that there is this intentionally conflicting narrative in the book where there are often these three different viewpoints on the history that don’t line up with one another.
Furthermore, the decision to not show the actual murder on screen but instead focus on Helaena’s reaction was a wise choice by Condal.
How Helaena Targaryen’s Reaction Impacted the Storyline
The changes made by Ryan Condal and his team to adapt the scene from the book to the screen were done with careful consideration and thought. By experiencing the event through Helaena Targaryen’s eyes, the emotional impact is heightened, and the horror of the act is made even more real.
But Phia Saban, who plays Helaena, found it “almost more heartbreaking” that Jaehaerys dies in this Blood and Cheese sequence. The actress further added:
There’s something about the fact that she can’t escape the fact that she said, ‘Yes, that one,’ and that weighs on her so much….She’s like, I can’t mess this up, I need to be completely honest. And I think it’s actually more heartbreaking that she’s honest.
Regardless, rather than filming the actual act, Condal chose to have the death occur both visually on Helaena’s face and audibly in the shadows. However, as he claimed, there was “some debate” about it in the writers’ room.
While some changes may diverge from the source material, they can also enhance the story and provide new insights into the beloved characters and their journeys. So, whether you agree with Ryan Condal’s interpretation or not, the murder of Jaehaerys Targaryen will forever be a haunting and tragic moment that will linger in our hearts long after the credits have rolled.
House of the Dragon is streaming on Max.
